School Business Management

Read more about how schools manage budgets, purchasing, facilities, transportation, and other school operations
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Collage showing a lunch tray with milk, a sandwich, an apple, and vegetables. The collage includes a green plate, a silver spoon, a triangle shape filled with a hundred dollar bill, and a 4 section pie chart.
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
Student Well-Being & Movement Why It’s Getting Tougher to Serve School Meals Made From Scratch
Federal reimbursements aren't sufficient to support school meal programs.
Olina Banerji, October 26, 2026
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3 min read
Image of a stethoscope and receipts
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty
Budget & Finance Schools Wrestle With Exploding Health Costs: 'Medical Inflation Is Crushing Us'
School districts face a dilemma as healthcare costs surge, but they're getting creative.
Mark Lieberman, October 26, 2026
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6 min read
Collage of various articles of clothing with clipped clothing descriptions and prices. Partial face of a kindergarten male eating a piece of fruit with other food items clipped such as pizza, bananas, and an apple. Subtle typography in the background shows menu items with prices.
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week + Getty
Budget & Finance As Student Meal Debt Soars, School Districts Launch Their Own Fundraisers
Meal cost increases, changes in federal food assistance eligibility may lead to more unpaid balances, experts say.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, September 30, 2026
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4 min read
Third graders at Oak Ridge Elementary School, Ben Vue, 9, left, Genesis Cortez, 9, Grettell Dominguez, 9, and Vanessa Guerra 8, right, sit together while eating lunch on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 , in Oak Park .
Third graders at Oak Ridge Elementary School in Oak Park, Calif., sit together while eating lunch on Feb. 22, 2023. Several schools across the country have announced they're no longer providing free meals to all students because they've stopped qualifying for the federal Community Eligibility Provision.
Lezlie Sterling via TNS
Student Well-Being & Movement Some Schools Stop Free Meals for All as SNAP Enrollment Falls
A rising number of schools no longer qualify for a federal program to provide free meals to all students.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 6, 2026
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6 min read
ISTEJune30AA
Education technology companies market their products and services at the ISTE Live 26 + ASCD Annual Conference in late June in Orlando, Fla. Some school districts are now insisting that payments to ed-tech companies be linked to evidence that their products and services improve student learning.
Marvin Joseph/Education Week
School & District Management Should Districts Pay Vendors Based on Student Outcomes? What the Research Says
Tying vendor pay to outcomes can help boost student achievement, researchers find.
Alyson Klein, August 6, 2026
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4 min read
This undated photo taken through a microscope provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin.
This undated photo taken through a microscope provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin. There are simple steps schools can take to low the risk of cyclospora affecting students, a consultant to districts says.
CDC via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Q&A How Schools Should Manage the Cyclospora Outbreak
A consultant to school systems offers advice on food safety and messaging to families.
Jennifer Vilcarino, July 23, 2026
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5 min read
Gas prices are displayed at a gas station in Wheeling, Ill., on May 14, 2026.
Prices on display at a gas station in Wheeling, Ill., on May 14, 2026. Most school districts in a new survey say they're over budget for fuel costs as prices, particularly for diesel needed to keep school buses running, remain high as the Iran war continues.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
School & District Management High Diesel Prices and Schools: How Districts Are Keeping Buses on the Road
A new survey of school district leaders breaks down what they're already doing to keep buses running.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Maya Riser-Kositsky, May 20, 2026
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2 min read
A full lot of parked school buses
School buses are parked at the Dayton Public Transportation center on Thursday, August 21, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio. School districts are already feeling the strain on their budgets as they buy diesel at elevated prices for their school buses.
Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos/AP
School & District Management Schools Brace for Impact as Fuel Prices Climb
Districts are tightening budgets as transporting students and heating buildings grow more costly.
Mark Lieberman & Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, May 19, 2026
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6 min read
The Los Angeles Unified School District, LAUSD headquarters building is seen in Los Angeles, Sept. 9, 2021.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, LAUSD headquarters building is seen in Los Angeles, Sept. 9, 2021.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
School & District Management LAUSD Tries to Reclaim $22 Million After Alleged Money-Laundering Scheme
A district manager allegedly steered work to a company in exchange for kickbacks, a lawsuit claims.
Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, May 12, 2026
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6 min read
A computer screen in English teacher Casey Cuny's classroom shows ChatGPT during class at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025
A computer screen in English teacher Casey Cuny's classroom shows ChatGPT during class at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2025. A school district in Washington state on the forefront of using AI in education is harnessing artificial intelligence to create customized digital teaching and learning tools.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Artificial Intelligence A District Expects to Save $200K From AI-Powered 'Vibe Coding.' Here's How
This school district is using AI coding to develop cheaper, more customized ed-tech tools.
Alyson Klein, May 8, 2026
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7 min read
District poses for a portrait at the Garden Cafe in Phoenix, Arizona, on Jan 21, 2026.
Cory Alexander, child nutrition director for Osborn School District, poses for a portrait at the Garden Cafe in Phoenix on Jan. 21, 2026.
Adriana Zehbrauskas for Education Week
School & District Management Q&A How a Leader Developed Farm-to-Table School Lunches Without Breaking the Bank
An Arizona school nutrition director discusses how districts can overcome logistical hurdles and negotiate prices.
Sarah Schwartz, February 9, 2026
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5 min read
Phoenix, Ariz., January 21,2026:Cory Alexander, Child Nutrition Director at Osborn School District, meets with the middle school culinary team and Theresa Mazza (glasses, Chef/ Nutrition Ed) and Maddie Furey at the garden Cafe in Phoenix, Arizona, on Jan 21,2026. They met to go over the “Appley Ever After Tres Leches Baked French Toast with Cinnamon Thyme Apples” dish for the Feeding the Future contest.
Cory Alexander, child nutrition director for Osborn School District, meets with the middle school culinary team, chef Theresa Mazza and Maddie Furey at the Garden Cafe in Phoenix, on Jan. 21, 2026.
Adriana Zehbrauskas for Education Week
School & District Management Leader To Learn From How One Arizona District Turned School Cafeterias Into Scratch Kitchens
Osborn schools built a scratch-cooked, local lunch program—one careful step at a time.
Sarah Schwartz, February 9, 2026
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10 min read
business and investment planning. Magnifying glass with business report on financial advisor desk. Concept of data analysis, accounting, audit, business research.
iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance From Our Research Center Crafting a Better Budget: How District and School Leaders Try to Avoid Short-Term Thinking
The EdWeek Research Center surveyed K-12 leaders on tactics to make spending plans strategic and smart.
Sean Cavanagh, December 31, 2025
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3 min read